Apparatus for the reclamation of lubricating oils



c. F. BARB 1.721328 APPARATUS FOR THE RECLAMATION OF LUBRICATING OILS July 16, 1929.

Filed Aug. 18, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR. G F. Bar

C. F. BARB July 16, 1929.

APPARATUS FOR THE RECLAMATION OF LUBRICATING OILS Filed Aug. 18, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. C F. Bar/"b Patented any id, 3229.

siren stares crane r. near, or GOLDEN, cononaw.

AHARATUS FOR THE RECLAMATION QF LUBRICATWG OILS.

Application filed August 18, 1925. erial No. 50,952.

This invention relates to apparatus for the reclamation of lubricating oils and its primary object is to provide a simple system of co-oprating devices which in'a process of precipitation, evaporation and filtration or percolation, completely cleanses dirty waste oils such as those obtained in the operation of various machines and engines, and more particularly the internal combustion engines of motor driven vehicles.

In the operation of engines of this character the lubricating oils become charged with gasoline, kerosene, water and solid hydrocarbons to such an extent as. to render them unfit for lubricating purposes. Frequent renewals of the lubricating, medium are there fore necessary in order to maintain the machine in proper working order, and the used oils being unsuited for further use, have heretofore been usually thrown away and wasted.

By the use of my invention these waste oils are rapidly and completely relieved of all contaminating matter at an expense of operation so low that their reclamation is attended with considerable profit upon reuse in the 0 ment of parts as will appear more fully in the course of the following description made with reference to the accompanying drawm s.

in the drawings in which like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 represents an elevation partly in section of an apparatus suitable for carrying my improved reclamation process into e ect;

Figure 2, a plan view of the apparatus, drawn to a smaller scale;

Figure 3, an enlarged vertical section through the evaporator of the apparatus, taken on the line 33, Figure 2'; and

Figure 4, a transverse section of the evaporator along the line 4-4, Figure 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, 5 designates a reservoir for the material to be treated which in addition to storing the material for subsequent treatment, functions as a preliminary settling unit for the separation of water and solids by sedimentation.

The container is to this end equipped with i an intake pipe 6 extending to within a short distance a ove its bottom, and with a drain cock 'I for the removal of settled matter, and

1t is further provided with an overflow 8 tor the conveyance of the liquid rising above the :ettling solids, to the second unit of the sys- A funnel shaped mouth at the up er end of the pipe 6 facilitates the supply 0 material to the container.

The second unit of the system above referred to, comprises a container .10 placed with its top beneath a spout 9 that connects with the overflow of the reservoir 5. A shallow filter 12 is suspended from the rim of the container b a curved flange for the preparatory filtration of the oils, and it consists to this end, of a pan provided with a perforated bottom and filled with a suitable filtering agent as for example fullers earth.

The second unit oi the system also functions as a settling vessel and it has adjacent its bottom a drain cock 13 for the discharge of precipitated matter.

The third and last unit of the system consists of an evaporator 14 and a filter 15 mounted one above the other-upon a skeleton stand 16. The evaporator consists of a preferably cylindrical tank 17 placed axially in a llOIlzontal position at the top of the stand. The

tank is double-walled to provide a surrounding jacket 18 to be filled-with a suitable insulating medium.

An opening 19 at an end of the tank near the top thereof is by! means of a valve-controlled nipple 20 connected with a suction appliance as for example, a wet water pump 21 shown in Figure 1, and a second opening 22 at the opposite end of the tank near the bottom thereof, is equipped with a fitting for its selective connection with either the container 10, the filter 15 or an outlet for settled matter.

The fitting consists to this end of a cross 23 which by means of a pipe 24 is connected with the opening 22 at the bottom of the evap orator, a second pipe 25 connected with t e cross has its orifice in the lower ortion of the container 10, above the level 0 the drain cock 13, a third pipe 26 leads from the cross to a point above the filter 15, and the fourth branch of the cross connects with a short pipe 2? for the discharge of sludge,

The pipes 25, 26 and 27 are provided with valves 28, 29 and 30, respectively, to control their use in the operation of the system.

An electric heater 31 extends lengthwise in the evaporator, through an opening in an end thereof and connects with a convenient source of electricity, and a well 32 in the opposite end of the evaporator provides for the employment of thermometric appliance to ascertain the heat of the evaporator in the operation (if the system.

The filter 15 consists of an upright tank 33 filled with fullers earth or other filtering compound as at 34, above a perforated partition 35. The space 36 between this partition and the bottom of the tank provides a chamher for the filtrate which is discharged from the filter by means of a drain-cock 37. A pan 38 beneath the filter may be employed to collect the liquid drawn from the filter through the outlet controlled by the valve 37.

In the operation of the system as above described, the reservoir 5 is filled with the refuse oil to or above the point of overflow, through the pipe 6. The oil rising to-the overflow leaves a'sediment of water and other impurities which as a preliminary in the separating process is from time to time discharged through the drain cock 7. If, when the apparatus is not in operatiomthe contents of the reservoir remain undisturbed for sometime, the amount of preliminary sedimentation is, of course, materially increased.

The rising oil overflowing through the opening 8, passes through the first filter 12 into the container 10 where, it is again subjected to a settling action. The filter 12-removes the coarser solids from the oil and any matter settling in the container out of the filtrate, is discharged through the opening controlled by the drain cock 13. p

The steps of the process so far described are conjointly preliminary to the main action in which the volatile foreign constituents of the oil are removed by distillation and 'the remaining solid impurities of smaller size than those retained in the first filter,'are separated by percolation of the liquid. 7

The oil deposited inthe container 10 is for the above stated purpose drawn upwardly through the pipe 25 past the open valve 28,

into the evaporator 14 by suction applied at the opening 19.

After the evaporator has thus been filled .to the required extent, the valve 28 is closed and the normall open circuit of the electric heater is compl eted in a conveniently located switch to subject the contents of the evapora= tor to a vaporizing temperature (about 550 F.)'. The volatile foreign constituents of the contaminated oil such as gasolene, kerosene and coal oil are volatilized and drawn ofi by the suction applied at the openi 19, leaving the oil relatively pure except or the finer particles of carbon and other solids which remained in the liquid at'the time itwas admitted to the evaporator.

The connection between the heater and the source of electricity is next disconnected and the batch of material in the evaporator is allowed to cool and settle for a considerable length of time, while the connection between the evaporator and the suction appliance is left open for the purpose of removing all remaining vapors of the diluting constituents of the oil.

Cooling reduces the odor of heated oil and at the same time aids in preventing gumming and clogging the filtering material. in the subsequent percolation step and by permitting the contents of the evaporator to settle, the burden of the filter is lightened and its capacity proportionatel increased. Q

When the oil has een sufiiceintly cooled (200 degrees Fahrenheit is under ordinary conditions as low as is necessary to obtain the desired result), the valve between theevaporator and the suction device is closed and the drain valve 30 is opened for the removal of settled sludge. I 7

After substantially all of the settled solids have thus been removed, the drain valve is closed and the valve 29 in the pi e 26 leading to the main filter is opened and ythe percolation of the oil through the filter medium, the remaining impurities are separated from the liquid. This completes the operation, the 011 finally discharged into the pan 38 through the drain cock 37 being practically free from impurities and as well, if not better, ada ted for lubrication as the product originally o tained from the refinery.

It is known that the reclamation of contaminated oils has been attempted heretofore by distillation and filtration, and the pres ent invention consists primarily in an im-' 1. An apparatus for reclaiming contami nated oils comprising a reservoir having a drain cock for settled matter, an overflow for said reservoir, a settling tank, a filter located adjacent the top of said settling tank, said filter adapted to receive the overflow from said reservoir, a drain opening for said settling tank, an evaporator, 21 plp'e connecting saidevaporator with the lower end of sa d settling tank, a four-way valve located 1n said pipe, a pipe leading from said valve to a'filter, said fcunway valve adapted to control the passage of oil from said settling tank memes to said evaporator, or from said evaporator to said filter, heating means for said evaporator and means for drawing the oil from the settling tank to said evaporator.

2. Anapparatus for reclaiming contaminated oils comprising a combined reservoir and settling tank having a drain opening and an overflow, a second settling tank, a filter supported adjacent the upper end of said second named settling tank for receiving the overflow, a second filter, an evaporator, piping for connecting said second named settling tank with said evaporator, or said evaporator with said second filter, said evaporator provided with an outer spaced wall extending 15 completely therearound, insulating material between said walls, an inlet for the oil adjacent the bottom of said evaporator, an outlet opening adjacent the upper end of said evaporator, suction means connected with said last namedopening, a heating element extending longitudinallyof said evaporator ad jacent, its bottom, and a tubular extension from said outer wall extending into said evaporator for the reception of a thermometer.

In testimony whereof I have aifixed my signature,

@LARK' F, BARB. 

